Manuela Vanegas Helps Lead Colombia Past Two-Time World Champion Germany Team

Manuela Vanegas has helped Colombia pull off a massive upset…

The 22-year-old Colombian professional footballer headed a stoppage-time winner to give Colombia a 2-1 upset victory over Germany just when the two-time world champions thought they’d saved a point in a thrilling FIFA Women’s World Cup clash at Sydney Football Stadium.

Manuela VanegasThe defender powered the ball home from a corner eight minutes after German striker Alexandra Popp had converted a penalty to cancel out a stunning strike from Colombian teenager Linda Caicedo.

Caicedo, who collapsed in training last Thursday, played a starring role against Germany and netted the game’s opener with a superb curling effort into the top corner in the 52nd minute.

Colombia tore into the match from the kickoff and the Germans looked rattled not only by their aggression but also by the deafening noise of their yellow-shirted fans.

Colombia striker Mayra Ramirez headed a chance down and wide in the ninth minute and the South Americans continued to hassle the Germans with a dig to the ribs here and a flailing arm in a tackle there.

The corner was Germany’s major weapon in their opening 6-0 thrashing of Morocco, but Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez came out confidently to gather the first ball swung in from the corner flag.

Germany forward Lina Magull had a good chance in the 21st minute but her swing at the ball made contact with nothing but air, and Lena Oberdorf‘s subsequent effort was blocked.

Popp, who scored two goals against the Moroccans, should have added to her tournament tally in the 42nd minute but blazed her volley high and wide from close range.

Colombia continued to launch the ball forward to their front players at every opportunity, but it was not until seven minutes after the break that they were able to break the stalemate.

Showing no sign of the nerves that her coach said were behind her collapse on Thursday, the 18-year-old Caicedo gathered the ball on the left edge of the box, cut back between two defenders and curled it into the top-right corner.

The stadium exploded with noise as the diminutive teenager celebrated her second goal at the tournament, having become the youngest player to score in this World Cup with a similar effort in Colombia’s 2-0 opening win over South Korea.

Germany continued to spurn what chances they created, but with two minutes left on the clock, Oberdorf was brought down in the box by Perez, and Popp stepped up to thump the ball confidently into the net.

The 27th-ranked Colombians now need only a draw against Morocco in their final Group H match to be certain of reaching the round of 16, while Germany are still likely to progress if they beat South Korea in their last fixture.

Bruno Mars to Open Sydney’s Newly Renovated Allianz Stadium

Bruno Mars is heading Down Under for a historic moment…

The 36-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter will officially open the new Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia.

Bruno Mars, Ricky Regal, LacosteMars is booked to perform on Friday, October 14 and the following evening to raise the curtain at the rebuilt venue.

Veteran concert promoter Paul Dainty, CEO of TEG Dainty, part of the TEG group, is producing the shows.

“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome audiences back to Allianz Stadium in the heart of Sydney and who better to lead the opening celebrations than the legendary, record-breaking artist Bruno Mars,” he says in a statement. “These opening shows will go down in history as not to be missed.”

Mars’ most recent studio album, 24K Magic, debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart following its release in November 2016, for his third Top 3 in Australia after Doo-Wops & Hooligans (No. 2 in January 2011) and Unorthodox Jukebox (No. 1 in January 2013). His single releases in Australia have collected 56-times platinum status, streams are north of 773 million, and he has completed three sold out tours.

Mars heads Down Under in Grammy-winning form. Mars’ collaborative smash with Anderson .Paak, “Leave the Door Open,” won in four categories at the 64th Grammy Awards in April, including record of the year and song of the year.

The duo’s debut album, An Evening with Silk Sonic, is expected to be a contender in multiple categories when the nominations for the 65th Grammy Awards are announced on November 15.

Situated next to the Sydney Cricket Ground, Allianz is expected to open its doors next month, after a renovation which reportedly carried a price tag upwards of A$800 million ($555 million). The result should be a “state-of-the-art multi-purpose venue, built for the future of sport and entertainment in Australia,” say the SCG trust.

The 42,500 capacity venue, traditionally known as Sydney Football Stadium (and previously Aussie Stadium) will host a free community open day and night on Aug. 28, headlined by Australian artists Guy Sebastian and Baker Boy. The grand opening is set for Sept. 2.

General public tickets for Mars’ shows go on sale from Thursday Aug. 11 via tegdainty.com, while Telstra Plus pre-sales start on Monday, August 8 at Telstra.com/tickets.

 Bruno Mars Live and Exclusive is supported by the NSW government through its tourism and major events agency, Destination NSW.